Cigarette feeding mechanism



April 9, 1935. w. EJMCLINS a CIGARETTE FEEDING'MECHANISM S Sheets-Sheet1 Filed June so 19:53

April 9, 1935. w. E. MOLINS CIGARETTE FEEDING MECHANISM Filed J n? 30,1953 s SheetsSh eet 2 Ap i 1935. i w. E. MOLINS O IGARETTE FEEDI NGMECHANI SM Filed June 30, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1b Patented Apr. 9, 1935a UNITED; STATES PATEN CIGARETTE FEEDING MECHANISM Walter EverettMolins,'Deptford, London,

9 England Application June 30, 1933, Serial No. 678,490 r In GreatBritain July 11, 1932 2 Claims. This invention relatesfto cigarettemaking machines, .and has for its object to provide a,

device for delivering cigarettes from a continuous rodcigarette machinein two or more rows on to aconveyoror conveyors which convey them rettesin the proportion of six cigarettesto seven,

to a packingmachine. a i

For example, in some 1wellfknown' types of packing, the cigarettesarepacked into. the pack,- ages in quantities'of twenty, and inthree'layers consisting, for instance, of two rows of seven and onerow-of six cigarettes; 1

Where it is proposed to transfer, cigarettes from the cigarette deliveryband,direct into a cigarette packing machine, it1will be understood thatit would be convenient for the cigarettes to be delivered in three rowson to, the, cigarette catcher band, one of such rows to contain ciga:

cigarettes in each of the other twowows.

According to the present invention there is provided, a cigarettedelivery device for thewpurpose specified, comprising, a rotatable drumfor each row furnished with deflecting blades-on its periphery which arearranged to sweep the,

cigarettes on to the band, each drum having a number of blades equal to,or a multipleof, the

number of cigarettes in the corresponding layer of the packet.

The invention will be more particularly described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which: g V A Figure 1 is a front elevation ofthe delivery end of a cigarette making machine showing the inventionapplied thereto. l I

Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1. v Figure 3 is a sectional end elevationof Figure 1 taken in the direction of the arrow A, and for the sake ofclearness, only the 4 are shown. 7

'Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in the direction of the arrow A inFigure 1, and drawn to a larger scale, and also showing the relativeposition of the deflecting blades on the drumv 2, 3and'4.- l

Figure 5 is a diagram similar-to Figure 3, but

blades on drum I showing details omitted from that view.

Referring to the drawings-"the cigarettes are cut from the rod by anapparatus located atthe' right-hand end of Figure "1, but not shownonthe drawings; and are discharged to a continuously moving tape or beltI. having a uniform speed, which belt, together with the roller l2separates the cut cigarettes from one another so that they areequi-distantly spaced apart from one another. The separate cigarettestravel OFFICE along the tape or. belt and are swept therefrom by one ofthe deflector drums =2, 3 or 4 as-hereinafter explained. The cigarettesare defiected onto a travelling belt 5 which carries them in thedirection of the arrow tothe bed of the pack ing machine. A i H Inthe-preseht'case the cigarette, packets are to contain twenty cigarettesconsisting of top and bottom rows of seven cigarettes with 'a row of sixcigarettes between, and therefore, the dedeflector plates 6 distributedin the following ble ofbeing adjusted angularly and axialiyupon the'shaft 8 for the purpose of setting the apparatus, the drums beinglockedin positioniby screws 9.

When the drums rotate, the vanes sweep the cigarettes from the tape l onto the belt 5, and during this. movement the cigarettes pass between topsprings 9a and bottom springs I ilvwhich assist inmaintaining thealignment and checking the speed so that the cigarettes fallen tothebelt '5 in proper formation, These springs are of par ticularimportance Where it is desired to pack maybe delivered on .to thebelt 5.without being turnedover during this movement.

The bIades'G are' preferably disposed about the drums in such a mannerthat the first cigarette of a particular batchito be packed isdischarged onto the belt 5 by a blade on the drum 4, the next cigarettesof square ornon-circular shape asthese cigarette by a blade on thecentral drum 3 and I V the next by'a blade on the drum 2, this sequencebeing repeated throughout theworkingof' the machine, with the exceptionthat during each revolution of the drums, the central drum 3 will missone cigarette, sinceit hasonlysix blades to the seven blades on each ofthe drums 2 and l.

The majority'of the blades are, therefore, spaced f apart on the drumsin themanner shown in the: upper part of "Figure 3,- that is, with twoempty grooves between each pair-of blades, but inlthe case of the centredrum 3 onlysix blades are used; I

10 flector drums are provided with a total of twenty leaving,,therefore,four grooves-between one pair.

' flcient to allow one cigarette to move into posi-' It will be seenthat at each of blades. 1

The left-hand drum No. 4 is as shown in'Figure 3 and hasan extra blade4%, whilst the righthand drum 2 is somewhat similarly arranged exceptthat the extra blade 2% on drum '2 is located next to the blade Ed ondrum 2 as shown in Figure 5. Thus in Figure the blades on. drum 2 areshown in dotted lines, those on drum 3 in line lines, and those on drum4 in thick black lines.

By this arrangement the delivery of cigarettes to each of the rows isconsecutive in order to keep each row filled and to prevent theformation of large gaps in the rows which would occur if each drum sweptits complement of cigarettes on to the band in the form of a group ofsuccessive cigar ettes. I

rotation of the three drums six cigarettes in each row will be swept bythe evenly spaced blades 6a in groups of three, one cigarette for eachrow. The extra cigarettes the two outside rows, that is, the se 30 Vcu't-ofl", the shaft 8 and drums turn through an enth-cigarette in eachof these two rows are swept 'off by the seventh blades 2% and 4th ondrums 2 and 5, respectively. The timing of the blades asjpreviouslystated may be seen in Figure 5, the relative speeds oi rotation ofthe'shait 8 and drums 2, 3 and 4 to the cigarettes delivered by the belti to the deflecting positions being such that for each cigarettedelivered from the angle of 18 or onetwentieth of a complete rotationand during such period the tape i advances acigarette from one drumposition to the next.

'The belt l, the roller 52 and the shaft 8 are all in Figures i and 5where the blades of all three drumsare indicated; In actual operation,the cigarettes are delivered in'axial alignment by the belt i atdefinitely spaced intervals, as will be more clearly seen in Figure 2.The drums are so timed that there will be a cigarette opposite each ofthe drums 2, 3 and 4 at approximately the same time, and these will beswept by the blades 60!, the blades 6d being so set that the blade onthe drum '2 meets the flrstoigarette slightly in advance of thecorresponding blade Gel on drum 3, I

and that inturn, is slightly in advance of the blade Ed on drum 4. Thisslight delay in time enables the cigarettes to come into their correctposition so that theblacles on the drums 3 and 4.

meet them approximately about their middle. In

other words, the displacements between the blades Ed on drums 2 and handbetween drums 3 and direspectively, are only sufficient to allow forthe'time taken by the cigarettes totravel to the proper-positions iAfter the first group of cigarettes has been deflected by the blades 6d,three more cigarettes have come into position and are deflected by theblades 66. Again, the blades 6 6g, Eh and Ea deflect threecigarettes ata time. After the cigarettes have been deflected by the blades 5a, itwill be noticed that a blade Eb is provided on drum, 2

closeto the blade Ea on drum 2. The spacing of this blade 61) from blade6a. on drum? is only suition opposite the blade $1), and this cigaretteis then immediately deflected. After this cigarette is deflected, thecigarettes move on, but there are no deflecting blades until we reachthe blade 5?) on drum 4. This blade immediately deflects one cigarette,while the othertwo drums 2 and 3 do not deflect any. Immediately afterthis blade 51) on drum l has deflected this one cigarette, thecigarettes move on, and owing to the fact that the'blades 8d areimmediately following, the cigarettes can only move a distance from onedrum to the next, so that they are all swept practically simultaneouslyagain by the blades 8d. 1

'It will be seen from this description of the operation that :theblades661, 6c, 6], 69/, 6h and 6a, operate to sweep three cigarettes'at atime, whereas, the seventh cigarette of the rows deflected by drums 2and 3 are done at separate times by the blades ill? on drums 2 and trespectively.

' Alternatively, the. blades maybe arranged on V the drums so as todeliver the cigarettes ready for packing with the row containing sixeither at the right or left as well. as in the middleas above described,and further, that thearran'ge inent of the deflectors may be followed togive any required number in any of the rows, the sole requirementbeingthat the total number of blades shall be equal to the number ofcigarettes contained in one packet or a multiple thereof.

,It will beiirlderstood that any suitable means may be provided forreceiving the cigarettes and maintaining them in separategroupasuchiheans entirely depending on the type or" packing which isused. Such meansdo not form any part of the present invention. l

What I claimasmy invention-and desireto of cigarettes to be delivered tothe appertaining row of cigarettes during one cycle of each set, and allthe deflecting elements having the same peripheral speed, the number ofdeflecting ele-' ments in one. set being different fromthe number ofdeflecting elements in at least one other on the machine, a cigarettedelivery clevice'for delivering axially moving cigarettes laterally inat least two'rows'the said cigarette delivering device having aplurality ofsets of'rotating deflecting elements supportedformovement-transversely across the path of the cigarettes, the" sets beingarranged to rotate in synchronism'and in cycles, and the number ofdeflecting elements in the numberin at least one other set.

WALTEREVERETT- norms;

